Sitting among the gnashing of teeth and the squelches of tearing flesh, a lanky, pale boy with snow white hair stares dolefully at the tip of his knife.
With this, it could all be over in an instant.
He quickly dismissed the thought. There was no point. His life was already over anyway.
He reminisced over the almost 18 years of his brief existence. All he could muster was scorn and resentment.
If only it hadn't been me.
He knew going through the same routine wouldn't save him, but he didn't care. It felt good. He imagined the feeling of plunging his knife into the writhing blob of flesh towering over him…that would feel equally as good if not better. But again, there was no point. Not to mention the mess. Blood would surely get all over his new clothes, and Misha had worked so hard to mend them.
Curse my sentimentality.
And he would likely die in the process. There were, at least, 3 other creatures in the vicinity that could easily kill him before his knife even reached the writhing blob. Plus, his knife would almost certainly fail to even scratch the clod. After all, this pudgy dullard smacking incessantly was purportedly his older brother. And more importantly, the blob had received his Blessing already.
"Cass? Did you hear me?"
"Huh?"
"Don't worry so much. You still have a week before your 18th birthday. You'll receive your Blessing. It is ordained by our benefactor."
"Daddy, don't you think you're babying him too much? You should contact a mining company and get him a decent position."
Jewel cut her eyes towards Cass and smiled. Ah, Jewel. For a few blissful moments Cass had forgotten he had a sister. If only her mind were as sharp as her eyes. He cleared his throat.
"Sorry for spacing out. It's alright though, I'm not worried at all. I was just thinking about what kind of work I'd be suited for."
Worried? No. In truth, he was terrified. Nobles who didn't receive a blessing? It was unheard of. The best case scenario was being expelled from the family. That's what happened to nobles who received weak or undesirable blessings. Even then, most were killed and erased from existence. Having such a blemish on your family name was inconceivable. The best case? They never receive their family names and are kept on the family compound, permanently; never to see the outside world again. Cass wasn't sure which punishment was more cruel.
He had entered the fog many times in the past year. Pockets of it were scattered in the forest surrounding his family's home. But he had never received his trial. This was common for those not of noble blood, expected even. However, one thing was true for all: by the age of 18 you were safe. Or damned if you're nobility. No one received a blessing after coming of age, not even royalty.
"I've set aside a nice stipend for you to get on your feet, dear. Ravenrock has one of the safest mines in the realm. I'm sure your father can get you a supervisor role quite handily. You'll never even have to swing a pick axe."
Revenrock? So somewhere between here and there…That's where the hit will take place. No, maybe the food was already poisoned. His throat did feel a little tight. His vision…he could swear it was blurring a little. And why was his arm so itchy?
"Cass?"
"Huh? Oh yeah! Sounds great, mother."
He choked the words out.
"Take pride, Cass."
A powerful, soothing voice rang out through the hall. It was a rarity for Cass to hear one that didn't grate on his ears. And that smile; it was too dazzling. Cass always felt the need to squint when he looked at Cadeyrn. His oldest brother exuded every trait you'd expect from a noble. Every major house has their sites on him, throwing their most beautiful daughters in desperate attempts to court him to their side.
Lucky bastard.
"Miners are essential in our fight against the demons. Without them to harvest materials and mana crystals, we'd have lost a long time ago. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"It's fine, guys. Really." "I never wanted to be a warrior anyway." "Fighting demons and spending my life on the battlefield sounds miserable." "A cushy supervisor job is leagues better in my book."
The former was certainly true. The latter however; he'd have to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. In general, commoners thought highly of nobles. Valiant warriors who defended humanity against the demon scourge. That was the mantra repeated by governments throughout the world. Other nobles? It was more complicated. But a blessingless disgrace like himself sullying their good name? Unforgivable.
Facing your impending doom had a way of quelling one's appetite. Not to mention the continued gluttonous cacophony from his most rotund of brothers. He left the dining hall. Jewel choked down a mouthful of food and yelled.
"Cass! If you want to stay, You can always be my porter! I need someone I can rely on in the field!"
What? Is she serious? As if the offer wasn't humiliating enough, but…did she have to sound so sincere? And did her smile have to be so dopey? So smug? Being looked down upon by someone like her was the cherry on top. Cass slowly carried himself back to his room while he thought about his grim prospects for the future.
The heavy, lavish wooden door swung open. Inside, a maid was folding clothes and putting them away. She was a rather curvaceous woman with shoulder length dark hair; small, soft hands; piercing blue eyes; and a smile that could make even the most cynical wretch's heart skip a beat.
"Ah, you're back early, Cass. I hope you didn't skip dinner again."
"Cut me some slack. I get enough patronizing from those scoundrels out there. I don't need it from you."
Cass was pretty sure Misha had his best interests in mind. It took him a long time to openly banter with her about his family's shortcomings and the absurdities of noble life. Something any halfway sane maid would never engage in. At least, not with someone of noble blood. And certainly not one who was her direct superior.
"It'll be hard to complete your trial if a strong breeze can whisk you away, never to be seen again."
"Are you trying to convince me to eat or not? Because that sounds like my ideal situation. I already told you I don't care about the stupid trial."
Misha giggled and turned around, casting a mischievous grin in Cass's direction. If Cadeyrn's voice was a 6 on the soothing scale, Cass was pretty sure Misha's laugh was nearly a perfect 10. He liked to leave a bit of room on the scale, on the off chance he met an actual goddess one day.
"Oh? Your daily morning strolls through the fog are just a way to relax?"
Damn! He thought he was more sneaky than that.
"Yes, actually."
He got through it without his voice wavering..
"Hmm, very interesting. With a full set of gear too? Sounds ever so relaxing."
She beamed a smile as she turned even more, now fully facing Cass. He couldn't help but admire…the strength of her back muscles. Her posture was superb.
"And how do you know that? Aren't you waking up a bit too early, even for a maid? How can you work at full capacity if you're sleep deprived all the time? You need to get a full night's rest."
"Ah, so I'm neglecting my duties then? Is that it, Master?"
"Master"? Uh-oh. It was common practice with maids. However, it was never a good sign when she called him "master". Though he couldn't deny that, along with the wave of dread, there was a part of him who got a kick out of it. He stared at her, bracing for her response, through the uncomfortable silence.
"Then perhaps I shall fix breakfast tomorrow."
Huh? Breakfast? Is that it?
"You're gonna make breakfast?"
"Yes. You're going to head out into the fog again tomorrow, aren't you? You already skipped dinner; are you planning to collapse before you even reach it?"
"Who said I was going? Though I suppose if I happen to be up early, I could stop by and at least see what sort of concoctions you've come up with."
Cass leaned back in his bed and folded his hands behind his head, an aloof smirk plastered on his face. She was one of his mother's personal servants and was always extremely busy. Not only with mundane chores, but also with mother's personal requests. So it was a rare treat to have some of Misha's home cooking. But he couldn't let her know that. There was a brief moment of silence.
"Feel free to wear your jammies. I'll clean and put them up for you."
"W-what!? I don't wear those anymore!"
I thought I'd hid them better!
She chuckled.
"It's no trouble, Cass. It's my job. There's no need to be embarrassed. I used to change your diapers, for heaven's sake."
Her smirk…If anyone else looked at him like that, they'd be finished. He was sure of that.
"It's healthy for a boy your age."
He froze…Maybe disappearing into the fog wasn't such a bad fate after all.